In this study the problematic aspect of divorce and remarriage in the christian church is researched. Exceptional emphasis is laid on the policy of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (hereafter: AFM of SA) in this regard and how it is enforced in practice. Unfortunately we have to face the reality of divorce in the church, and the fact that not only members, but also the pastor can get involved in divorce and remarriage. Up to now the church has not really been able to come to a clear conclusion on the most appropriate way to handle such a situation. The AFM of SA, as well as several other churches prefer to prevent such situations by implementing certain precautionary measures. In this study the relevant problem of divorce and remarriage will be researched using a Biblical-ethical approach. The Bible refrains from giving specific pastoral guidelines to be used by the church and its members in cases of divorce and remarriage. The Pharisees incorrectly interpreted Deut. 24:1-4 that divorce and remarriage is acceptable when a man gives his wife a divorce letter. Jesus however controverts this interpretation in Matt. 5:32 when He says that divorce and remarriage was established due to the hardness of the human hart. The biblical message is rather that God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16). Some exegetes believe that there are two “grounds” on which a person is entitled to a divorce. These “grounds” are based on Matt. 5:31 & 32 when adultery is committed, and according to I Cor. 7:15 when the unbeliever wishes to not continue with the marriage (known as malicious separation). In this study we would like to stress that the Bible does not give any grounds for divorce. One cannot argue that God hates divorce, and then give “grounds” on which divorce is acceptable. Reference is only made to circumstances which destroys a marriage. Such incidents also hold connections with incidents where the marriage is not in honor of God, and leaves space for sin to ruin lives. The marriage is now an instrument in the hand of evil which will consequently lead to more sin. In these last instances a point can be reached where the marriage does not exist in the eyes of God any more, and can be separated lawfully by means of divorce. It is of opinion that divorce should remain as last resort to a broken marriage. Reconciliation should always be the first option. When divorce has taken place, the parties involved may choose to remarry as the previous marriage is ruined before God. If a person, however, should get married while the marriage still exists before the Lord, adultery is being committed. This marriage will be interpreted as a deed of adultery, but it would not be biblical to view such a marriage as a state of adultery. Marriage is therefore not seen as something which can’t be annulled, as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church, who views marriage as a sacrament. Marriage is not an absolute establishment, and can break up under certain circumstances. In this study we found that different religions, Christian and non-christian, have diverse views about marriage, divorce and remarriage. Most Christian religions uphold monogamous marriages – a lifelong binding between one man and one woman. Non-christians such as the Muslims believe in polygamous marriages where a man is allowed to marry four wifes at any given stage. Divorce is viewed as “allowable” on certain grounds by most religions. The Roman Catholic Church, as mentioned, differs in that the marriage is viewed as unbreakable. Nowadays an annulment is granted easier which allows remarriage to occur more often. In case of the AFM of SA, there are no clear guidelines on how divorce of a congregation member or pastor should be handled. Direction in this regard is however given by knowledgeable persons in the church. In earlier days, strict - mostly undocumented - guidelines have been followed in handling divorce and remarriage cases of pastors in the AFM. The person was found guilty because of his divorce status and was asked to resign from the ministry. In later years cases were handled on merit. Policies were enforced by means of disciplinary action following a church court’s ruling. Due to churches being reluctant to discipline members getting divorced and / or remarried, it seems as if members perceived divorce not as a serious sin, and to justify their act. The “guilty” party must be disciplined. The innocent party must be allowed to continue with his/her service in the ministry. The Bible teaches us that after sin was confessed to God, He unconditionally forgives and removes our sins, and never thinks about it ever again (1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:12). Divorce however, is perceived by the church to be a bigger sin and that divorced persons are second hand christians. This is especially true in case of a divorced church leader. Although the church, and specifically the AFM, strives to implement an acceptable policy relating to divorce and remarriage, most churches have not investigated the fundamental theory as yet. It seems as if churches are sensitive in compiling, or can not reach consensus on the theory. The AFM has a basic course called “Ethics – Divorce & Remarriage” being presented by Dr. F.P. Möller (jnr) in their Theological Seminary. The researcher of this study is a pastor in the AFM of SA who has experienced divorce and remarriage himself. The way the case was treated by the church and colleagues proved that the church did not follow biblical guidelines in dealing with a divorced pastor. His experience motivated him to conduct the mentioned study. The church should pick-up, and care for divorced members (in a biblical sense) as the good Samaritan or the shepherd leaving 99 sheep to search for 1 missing one to pick him up and caringly bring him back to the flock. The study is concluded with a theory that can be used by the AFM of SA. / Dr. F.P. Moller

The history of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) confirms its own missional character. In the light of the church’s rich missional history, an attempt is made to determine to what extent non-christians are still reached through the gospel by the AFM. Various missional models and methods have been used over the years by the AFM. The following has been asked in this concern: Which of these missional models and methods being used are still successful today? Qualitative research has been used to search within the white sector of the AFM for presentday missional models and methods that are still effective. Congregations within the following provinces have been included in the qualitative research: Gauteng, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State and Kwazulu Natal. The following literary study has revealed certain missional changes that have taken place in the Western Church. While it confirmed some of the missional challenges of the AFM, it also provides some missional guidelines to the church. Certain missional models and methods seem to be less effective than in the past, while others have phased out completely. Some of the missional models and methods currently used in the church are less effective than some AFM members suggest. Although the AFM has not lost its missional aim, the missional passion of some of its members is a growing concern. It appears that in the early years of the AFM the church’s members had a greater missional passion than today. The ideal missional approach for today seems to be an effective personal relationship approach. The Alpha course has been identified as one of these approaches from which the AFM may gain various missional guidelines. / Prof. W.J. Hattingh

M.A. (Practical Theology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Churches in the twenty-first century experiences a crisis. According to Barna (1998:2) churches are: Holding fast to programs and goals established by their charter members years ago. Many of these ministries have mastered the art of denying the cataclysmic cultural changes around them, responding with cosmetic changes that make little difference. Subsequently the church is losing its influence in the world. One of the reasons is that the church is structured in such a way that it is unable to respond to its changing environment. Therefore, structural change in churches is continually debated and it remains a great challenge for churches to structure themselves in order to become relevant in the twenty-first century. As a result, the proposed study focuses on the re-engineering of the leadership structures of the local Apostolic Faith Mission(AFM) church. In the AFM church, this debate was going on for over two decades. Whereas historically, the larger denomination developed structures and introduced it in the local assembly, they reviewed this position. The purpose of this research is thus to investigate and describe how pastors experience their local church structures as well as to offer guidelines for effective structures to the Church. The researcher conducted semi-structured, phenomenological interviews with eight pastors. The research question was: “How do you personally experience your local church structures?” / Dr. L.P. Mare

In most congregations “the work” of ministering is primarily performed by salaried pastors and permanent staff. The members of the congregation are mainly spectators and, at best, helpers in the various ministries of the church. They are perceived as laymen and are generally only the objects of ministry. Very few members come forward of their own accord to minister the grace of God and fewer still are afforded the opportunity to become leaders. This study seeks to show that members of the congregation should be fully incorporated in the ministry teams and leadership structure of local congregations; that as voluntary co-workers, they should be equal to the pastors and permanent staff and should play an active part in realising the vision and mission of the congregation; that they should be empowered, allowed to minister and function as leaders, according to their gifts. Supported by literature on leadership available in local congregations and examples of what congregations are already doing in this respect, the study further seeks to emphasise the importance of leadership development in local congretations. In the closing paragraph we look at a few fundamental principles that should form the basis of our thoughts on leadership and the development thereof in congregations. It emphasises that the way we conceive leadership and the implications of our concepts should be fully understood before attempting to implement leadership development. The study does not seek to establish a definite model or fixed program for leadership development, but concludes with a presentation of universally applicable guidelines for the creation of a leadership development strategy in local congregations. / Prof. WJ Hattingh

M.A. / The motivation for the study was to determine the problems encountered by pastors within the context of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (hereafter AFM Church) in a small rural congregation and what their specific needs were. The purpose of the research is to supply workable guidelines which will help the pastors to improve their situation in the rural area. A qualitative research investigation was done, which is investigative and descriptive. Interviews were conducted with sixteen pastors from small rural congregations and were asked: How do you experience the ministry in a small rural town? The information was collected and scientifically processed, and four areas were identified which could influence the pastor’s ministry in a rural environment, namely: • the congregation in which the pastor is working • the community in which the pastor is working • personal qualities of the pastor and • lack of personal and professional support and resources available to the pastor in rural areas. From the research it is clear that factors exist which obstruct the progress of rural congregations. Factors include a higher age profile and inadequate parishioner involvement in the congregations, whilst a conservative and tradition-bound community as well as inadequate involvement in the community also has a role to play. The research proved that the pastor’s personal background, age and experience in the ministry can be keys to success, while inadequate personal and professional backing to the pastor can handicap effectiveness in the ministry. There is a lack of useful resources available to the pastor while insufficient communication with head office can sometimes lead to frustration. The results from the qualitative research were subjected to a literature control. In the literature control it was attempted to investigate and verify the accuracy of the problem areas, according to which guidelines were compiled to assist the pastor and leadership of congregations to eliminate problem areas which may occur. The guidelines viewed as a whole provide for an attempt by the church that could hold various benefits for the AFM pastor in a small rural congregation.

M.Th. / There is still great uncertainty about the role of healing in proclaiming the Gospel and in church building and development. For many Christian denominations this is still a contentious and controversial subject. Especially the differences in the theories on healing and the way in which these theories should be applied, cause many problems to come to the fore in obvious and unsettling ways. In the past few Pentecostal theologians have tried to make contributions that help to identify and solve these problems. By doing this study from a Pentecostal viewpoint, the student is hoping to aid the church in developing a theory and praxis for the healing ministry that is based on Scripture. This study is unique in the sense that it approaches the issue from the standpoint that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are an absolute necessity in developing a Scriptually sound theory and praxis for the healing ministry. It was therefore necessary first to stress the important role of the gifts of the Spirit in the ministry of Christ and the New Testament church. The study then looks at the role and influence that the gifts had in the emergence of the modern Pentecostal movement and of the AFM of South Africa. To discover whether this ministry is still functioning effectively, a questionnaire was given to believers in eight different assemblies. The information was then used to compile a list of guidelines that might be adhered to in order to maximise the usefulness of the gifts of the Spirit.

The rise in divorce cases among Christians, and among pastors in particular, has become an unsettling factor in contemporary South Africa. The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) of South Africa (SA) has been selected as a study sample to investigate this problem. From the above problem, the following question developed: “What are the motivations and justifications for AFM of SA (Pentecostal church) pastors indulging in the act of divorce, and what theologically educative measures can be advanced to resolve this problem…?” It has become incumbent upon researchers, especially theologians, to address this ongoing problem by employing a phenomenological study. Hence, the present researcher has employed the qualitative research methodology, in which the explorative, descriptive and contextual approaches have been applied. Consequently, phenomenological interviews were conducted among nine divorced AFM pastors. Fieldwork mainly consisted of data collection through in-person and telephonic interviews. This was followed by data analysis, through coding, categorisation and a thematic analysis to draw scientific categories from the collected data. Data analysis was conducted along two notable themes, namely, motivations and justifications/rationale with their subsequent categories and subcategories. The findings, after data analysis, show that the main motivations and justifications for pastors to divorce their spouses are as follows: ministerial incompatibility; communication breakdown; sexual incompatibility; socio-economic incompatibility; adultery; attitude or abusiveness; conflicting interests; dishonesty; cultural differences; influence of the extended family; academic incompatibility; insufficient time spent together; expired love; and jealousy. It has been noted that divorce is not a new phenomenon. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 shows that the problem of divorce existed from the days of Moses in the Old Testament. Because the men of Israel were arbitrarily divorcing their wives during Moses’ jurisdiction over Israel, he instructed that this be done in an orderly way – by issuing a certificate of divorce to the wives during the process of divorce. However, in the New Testament (Matthew 5:31-32, 19:1-9), Jesus spoke out against divorce. He stated that Moses allowed divorce because of the hard-heartedness of the men of Israel. Hence, ‘divorce’ is a theological concern that calls for a practical theological intervention strategy. Therefore, this thesis is concluded by recommending a ‘practical theological theory’ as an intervention strategy based on three aspects: firstly, the history of the AFM church on divorce; secondly, the reasons for divorce among AFM pastors as investigated in this research; lastly, the book of The Song of Songs and the incarnation of Christ were introduced as the basis of a new practical theological theory to ensure stable marriages among AFM pastors. / Dr. L.J. Erasmus

An Investigation into the Experience of Congregational Preaching at the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Soweto, Diepkloof Assembly Preaching is one of the main pastoral or congregational activities that takes place in all Christian congregations. The Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), Diepkloof Assembly in Soweto has been selected as a study sample to investigate how church members experience their pastor’s preaching at church during worship services. In this study an empirical research was conducted by employing a qualitative research methodology, in which explorative, descriptive and contextual approaches have been applied. Phenomenological interviews were conducted among ten members of the AFM Diepkloof Assembly. The theory of data saturation was applied while conducting the interviews. This theory means that the researcher keeps on collecting data (e.g. by means of interviews) to obtain new data until no new information comes up. In this research, a literature study of the theoretical framework of preaching was undertaken to find out what the contemporary scholars think of congregational/pastoral preaching. There is a lack of African or black scholarship in this regard; most of the literature is from white scholars. Nevertheless, the researcher did establish a sound theoretical framework on congregational/pastoral preaching. Fieldwork mainly consisted of data collection through in-person, tape recorded interviews. This was followed by data analysis, through categorisation and a thematic analysis to draw scientific categories from the collected data. The findings, after data analysis, indicated that congregants generally regard:  the Bible as central in preaching  preaching as something that gives answers or solutions to real life problems  the preacher to be important and he/she must be in agreement with his/her message  preaching as having some influence on them to change their lifestyles for the better  preaching as a necessary activity that covers as wide range of subjects about (Christian) life. It was noted during this study that there are no empirical studies that have been undertaken on how church members in black township churches experience their pastors’ preaching. The literature control among white church members in suburban churches indicates that:  preaching must help to lead people to change (Swift,2005:18)  the person of the preacher plays a very crucial role in his/her preaching (Venter & Kim, 2004:147)  the teaching sermon should get more attention in our day (Pieterse, 2005:230)  the audience must be involved (be part of) in the preaching (Swift, 2005:230)  the preaching must be relevant to the lives of the audience (Swift, 2005:232). The above results of the literature control confirm what was gathered from the research findings. In conclusion, preaching still plays a very crucial role in the congregations, and that pastors and lay preachers need to continuously work on their preaching skills and methods to make it more effective and relevant to the contemporary church community and in society in general. / Dr. L.J. (Dennis) Erasmus Dr. S.J. (Lilly) Nortjé-Meyer

M.A. / The objective with this study was to develop a management model for assemblies in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM). This model is focussed on the development of positive potential and the equipping of assembly members. A number of assemblies instituted a cell-based structure whilst others are in a process of transformation towards a cell-based assembly structure. The management possibilities of such a structure was therefore considered. An analytical and critical approach, based on the social sciences, was taken to develop a better understanding of people's latent potential. The equipping task of the church was also analysed. With the aforementioned as departing point, consideration was given as to what type of management structure would be the most suitable to develop potential and to equip assembly members. The study indicates the following: Every person has latent positive potential that should be developed. The church leadership is responsible to God for the development and equipping of assembly members. A high standard of management effectiveness could be reached through a Body-of-Christ assembly approach with cell groups as a supporting structure. A purpose-driven management approach should be adopted. The best management model is therefore achieved through a combination of a Body-of-Christ assembly model based on a purposedriven management approach. This thesis is a contribution aimed to assist the leadership in assembly management and structuring. It is hoped that this will result in the development of latent potential, and the equipping of assembly members to support them in their Godly purpose and service.